People in criminal justice system to have better access to mental health services
People in contact with the criminal justice system will have improved access to mental health services by 2014, the government has promised as it unveiled its mental health strategy.
The No health without mental health strategy is intended to tackle the underlying causes of mental ill-health. It includes the provision of around £400m to improve access to modern psychological therapies over the next four years.
This additional investment will help offer personalised support to 3.2m people across the country, the government said. It will also see one million people recover from their condition by 2014 and 75,000 people get their lives back on track by returning to work, education, training or volunteering.
The cross-government strategy has six key aims to be achieved over the next three years:
- “more people will have good mental health
- more people with mental health problems will recover
- more people with mental health problems will have good physical health
- more people with mental health problems will have a positive experience of care and support
- fewer people will suffer avoidable harm, and
- fewer people will experience stigma and discrimination.”
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: “The evidence is clear: mental health needs to be addressed with the same urgency as physical health. We need to end the stigma attached to mental illness, to set an example by talking about the issue openly and candidly and ensure everyone can access the support and information they need.
“The strategy today shows how we will put people at the heart of everything we do, from a new focus on early intervention to increased funding for psychological therapy, so that everyone has a fair opportunity to get their lives back on track.”
Care Services Minister Paul Burstow suggested that mental health had for too long been the poor relation in the NHS. “Yet we know that good mental health and resilience are fundamental to our physical health, our relationships, our education, our work and to achieving our potential,” he said.
“What this strategy does is ensure that modern, evidence-based therapies are available for all who need them. Working with others, the government is determined to promote good mental health and wellbeing and challenge the stigma and discrimination that still affects so many people with mental health problems today.
One of the key elements of the government’s strategy is to bring together – through the Early Intervention Grant – funding (£2.2bn in 2011-12) for early intervention and preventative services for children, young people and families. This can also be used for Targeted Mental Health in Schools (TaMHS).
“Local authorities will have greater freedom and flexibility to put in place programmes that can reduce conduct disorder, improve family relationships and reduce costs to social care, youth justice, education and health systems,” the government said.
This coincides with the establishment of community budgets in 16 local areas for families with complex needs, including mental health problems.
Other notable initiatives in the strategy include:
- Launching the Health Visitors Implementation plan following its announcement last October for 4,200 additional health visitors
- Providing additional investment of up to £7.2m for the treatment of veterans with mental health problems
- Working in partnership with the Time to Change programme to challenge stigma and discrimination
- Ensuring that all psychological therapy sites have an employment co-ordinator whose role is to help get people back to work
- Launching a consultation to extend to all employees the right to request flexible working, which the government believes could help carers manage their caring role alongside work, and
- Publishing a new cross-Government suicide prevention strategy in the spring of 2011.
